Persuasive Writing Activity: Create a Commercial

Pick a number between one and six... Whatever number you pick, match it with the object above That's your product!

Imagine that you are an advertising executive and today you have been given a very unusual task.

You get to decide what this product does. (What is it? What does it do? Why would people want to buy this?)

Give it a cool name.

Now, write a 30 - 60 radio commercial script that lets your audience know about this product. Make sure you choose a distinct emotion for your audience to experience. Do you want your audience to feel relaxed? Fearful? Humorous? Excited?

Your commercial could have characters and a story, or it could be straight-froward (information delivered by a spokesperson).

Here's a little lecture video to tell you more about persuasive writing and the use of emotional appeals in advertising.

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Introduction to College Writing

The Little Red Ribbon: A Story by Wade Bradford

I wrote a new story. This one is a bit different than my normally whimsical style.

It's dedicated to all the kindhearted school bus drivers of the world!

I recorded the audio and made a YouTube video...






And I am also presenting the written version of the story below. I hope you enjoy it!

All the best,

Wade

The Little Red Ribbon

By Wade Bradford

Rachel had never been on a school bus before, but she was ready.

She had her lunch box, her backpack, and her mother's gift: a little red ribbon tied up in hair.

Thanks to her special red bow, she wasn't a bit nervous as she waited in line with the other children. 

And she wasn't even a little bit jittery when the big yellow bus squeaked and sputtered to a stop.

Maybe she was a tiny bit scared as the bus door clanked open, but when the bus driver gave her 

a smile and said, "Welcome aboard," all the butterflies in her tummy fluttered away. 

Rachel knew it would be a good day.

She sat in the very front seat, next to a boy who WAS nervous, jittery and more than a little bit scared. 

It was his first time on a school bus too. He was worried about the what-ifs...

"What if the bus gets a flat tire?"

"What if we go down the wrong road?"

"What if we never find our way to school?"

So, Rachel shared a secret: "My mother gave me this to keep the worries away." 

She untied the bow so that she and the boy could both hold onto the little red ribbon.

They looked out the window as the world rolled by and soon they were at their school.

"Thank you, Bus Driver," said Rachel.

"You're welcome, little one," said the bus driver. "And you can call me Mrs. Grace. 

Have a great day."

"I will, Mrs. Grace!"

But Rachel did not have a great day. On her way to class, when she was just about 

to tie a bow in her hair, a mean gust of wind swept the ribbon into the air.

It danced back and forth in the breeze, just out of reach. The ribbon twisted and tumbled 

in the wind, and then it was gone. Nowhere in sight.

During class, while the other children listened to the teacher, Rachel just looked out

 the window and wondered where her ribbon could be.

She looked for it at recess, and at lunch time, and even after the last school bell rang

 and the children lined up for the bus.

"Hurry on up and climb aboard," said Mrs. Grace, but even the bus driver's smile could 

not cheer her up. Rachel sat in the very back of the bus and thought about her lost ribbon. 

Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

When Rachel woke up, the rest of the children were gone. Outside the window, the world 

that rolled by was strange and different. Up in front, Mrs. Grace, who seemed to have forgotten

 all about Rachel, was driving to the place where the buses go to settle in for the night.

She began to cry, and even though the bus squeaked, sputtered, and clanked,

 Mrs. Grace heard Rachel.

"Oh dear me," said Mrs. Grace. "You must have fallen asleep and missed your stop. 

Let's get you home, little one."

Mrs. Grace turned the bus around, and soon Rachel began to recognize the neighborhood 

around them.

"You had a rough day," said Mrs.Grace. "Tomorrow will be better."

"I don't think so," Rachel said quietly. "I lost my ribbon."

"I'm not so sure about that," said Mrs. Grace as the bus came to a rest at Rachel's corner. 

Mrs. Grace pointed up to a tree, where there was a little red ribbon fluttering in the branches.

"Looks like it's not so lost after all," said the bus driver.

"Thank you, Mrs. Grace!"

"Goodbye, little one."

* * *

Years went by, and Rachel became a teacher at that very same school. One afternoon, 

she waved goodbye to her students as they stepped onto the bus. Then, she placed her 

books in her backpack and tightened the red bow in her hair. It was a windy day and she 

didn't want the ribbon to blow away again.

On the way home, she saw an old woman standing on the sidewalk in her slippers. 

It was Mrs. Grace. Her eyes were filled with worries and what-ifs.

To her, her world seemed strange and different.

"Hello, Mrs. Grace?" Rachel said gently. This was not the first time she had seen her

 like this. "Do you remember me?"

Mrs. Grace did not. She backed away, afraid. Then Rachel untied her bow and showed 

Mrs. Grace her ribbon. The woman's eyes no longer looked so lost after all.

Mrs. Grace took hold of the little red ribbon... and together they walked home.

The End